The new WL500 allows boat owners to connect to wi-fi hot spots so that their on board PC’s or equipment can connect to the internet. With internet connectivity on board you can download the latest weather or chart updates as well as having a mobile office on board. Most harbours and ports have either free or subscription based services available

The WL500 modem connects to an on board PC through a regular USB connection with a plug ‘n’ play driver disk supplied for Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.3 (and higher) and LINUX* operating systems. It supports 802.11b/g protocols as well as WEP and WPA encryption.

Even if your system already has wi-fi access, this can be disabled and you can take advantage of the superior range (and speed) that this system will offer.

Wi-Fi range depends on many local factors but Digital Yacht have seen ranges of up to 4-6 miles with this low cost system. In general, using an internal wi-fi adaptor typically found on a notebook, you’ll be lucky to find the signal at the end of the dock so if you plan to access the internet whilst on board the WL500 could be the solution for you.

1. I want to get Long Range WiFi for my Aqua PC, but have been told it is not possible if I also have the NMEA 2000 gateway installed, is this correct?

Unfortunately, due to space limitation, there is not enough room for us to install both of these devices inside an Aqua PC, so we would recommend using one of our external WL series as a good alternative.

Date created: 2011-06-08 10:28:59

2. I am trying to setup a wireless network through my Mac using your WL series, how would I do this?

For sharing the WiFi Adaptor Connection on a MAC, please see Tech Note 00004-2010 on our website.

Date created: 2011-06-08 10:27:43

3. I have bought a WL400 from you guys and I am having a problem installing it, I am running it on a MAC with Snow Leopard OSX, any ideas?

For using our WL400 WiFi Adaptor on a MAC with Snow Leopard, please see Tech Note 00002-2010 on our website.

Date created: 2011-06-08 09:57:54

4. Where should I mount my WL500 antenna? At the top of the mast?

Although VHF benefits from being mounted at the top of the mast to get maximum “line of sight” range, WiFi reception is over much shorter distances and height is not the critical factor. Most marina hotspots are at roof height and even with your own WiFi antenna at deck level, good reception should be possible. In areas with big tides, a more common situation is where the boat drops below the harbour wall and this acts as a big barrier to the signals getting to the hotspot. However, every marina is different and finding an antenna location that will give optimum performance in every marina is an impossible task. In very popular marinas the more likely factor to effect performance will be the number of masts and obstructions between your antenna and the hotspot. Each mast and obstruction will reflect and bounce the WiFi signals around reducing range and link quality. Finally remember that microwave ovens and radar operate on the same frequency range so avoid having these devices turned on when using your WiFi adaptor.

Microsoft Windows automatically names any new WiFi adaptor in this way (auto-incrementing the number for each new connection) and it can be confusing to remember which one is your long range WiFi adaptor and which one is your laptop’s internal WiFi adaptor. However, it is possible to rename these connections and give them a more memorable name. To do this in Vista or Win7, go to the “Network and Sharing Center” and click on the “Manage Network Connections” (for Vista) or “Change Adaptor Settings” (for Win 7). Right Click on the network connection you want to rename and select “Rename” from the menu. You can then change this to “Digital Yacht WiFi Adaptor” or any other suitable name that you find easier to remember.

Date created: 2011-06-08 09:54:38

6. I am running Windows 64-bit; do the drivers supplied for the WL series work with both 32-bit and 64-bit systems?

Yes they are compatible with both systems.

Date created: 2011-06-08 09:53:43

7. My WL50/400/500 is not picking up a very good signal, why is this?

If you are using one of our WL products at the same time as the internal WiFi, it may cause problems, your best option is to turn off the internal adaptor in the Wireless Network Adaptors section of the Control Panel and just run with the WL.

Other common factors are if you are using a USB extension cable, this will lose signal the longer the cable is, the 5m cable supplied being the recommended length. We do offer a 5m-extension cable but you should only fit one of these, otherwise you start to get loading and latency problems.

Lastly the Wireless Router you are connected to may be a cause, as some marinas still use old technology with limited range.

Date created: 2011-06-08 09:52:04

8. I am using Windows 7, and wondered if you still have drivers for the WL200 antenna?

Depending on which model of WL200 you are using, the Blue Base or the White Base, drivers are as follows: -

9. 15. I would like the ability to use Windows Wireless Manager instead of the bundled RealTek software, is this possible?

If you are using Vista or Windows 7 simply uninstall the Realtek Program and Driver using the Add/Remove Software function in Control Panel. You will need to connect to the Internet using another method and once connected plug in the WL50 (Mk2) or WL400 and let the Windows "Found New Hardware Wizard" search on-line for the drivers. It takes a little while to download them from the Microsoft Official Drivers website but the new driver will install without the Realtek Config Utility. You should then be able to see the WL400 listed as a new Wireless Adaptor in the Connect to List.

Date created: 2011-06-08 09:48:24

10. I have plugged my Digital Yacht product into the USB, but it does not appear to be working, what do I do?

Windows should always beep when a device is plug in, if it doesn’t this maybe a problem with the USB port, but more likely will be the unit. Always ensure you plug the USB directly into the PC and not through a hub. You should also try other USB ports to see if they pick it up, as the port might be at fault.

If you are getting the beep, it is likely to be a driver issue, please refer to our tech notes here.